Comparison - macOS terminal emulator

Winy vs iTerm2

Keep iTerm2 as your terminal; Winy puts your Claude Code sessions on a canvas beside your notes, on Mac, iPad and iPhone.

iTerm2 is a free, open-source terminal for the Mac with split panes, a hotkey window, triggers, shell integration, tmux integration, a Python API and an optional AI chat.

Winy is a native infinite-canvas notebook for Mac, iPad and iPhone where real agent sessions such as Claude Code and Codex live as cards beside your notes, ink, images and arrows.

They do different jobs: iTerm2 is where you type commands, and Winy is where you think and watch your agents, including Claude Code sessions you started in your own terminal.

At a glance

Question	Winy	iTerm2
What it is	Infinite-canvas notebook with live agent cards	Terminal replacement for macOS
Platforms	Mac, iPad and iPhone	Mac, macOS 10.14 or newer
Price	Early access waitlist; no public pricing	Free, open source under GPL v2
Layout	Cards on a board you pan and zoom	Windows, tabs and split panes
AI	Hosts Claude Code, Codex and other CLI agents	Optional AI chat plugin; OpenAI or compatible models
Claude Code view	Conversation view, with its pickers as buttons	The agent's terminal output
Notes and ink	Text, Pencil ink, images and arrows beside agents	Not a notes tool
Session persistence	The Mac runs the agents; iPad and iPhone view them	tmux integration in native windows and tabs
Automation	A command bar on every card	Triggers and a Python API

Which one is for you

Choose iTerm2 if

You want a mature, free and open-source terminal for daily shell work on the Mac.
You rely on tmux and want its sessions as native windows and tabs that survive a dropped connection.
You want to script your terminal with triggers and a Python API, or ask an AI chat about what is on screen.

Choose Winy if

You run several Claude Code or Codex sessions and want to see which are working or waiting by zooming out.
You want to read Claude Code as a conversation and answer its pickers with a tap instead of the keyboard.
You want your notes, sketches and arrows on the same board as your agents, visible to them.
You want to check on your agents from an iPad or iPhone while the Mac runs them.

Using both

Keep iTerm2 for your shell. Winy attaches to the Claude Code sessions you already run in your terminal, so a session you started in iTerm2 can also sit on your Winy board as a card, next to your notes, without moving anything.

Questions

Does Winy work with iTerm2?

Yes, for Claude Code. Winy attaches to Claude Code sessions you already run in your terminal, so you can keep iTerm2 and still see those sessions as cards on your board. Other agents run in Winy's own terminal cards.

Is there an iTerm2 alternative for iPad?

iTerm2 runs on the Mac only. Winy runs on iPad and iPhone as well as Mac, with the Mac running the agents and the iPad showing them as live cards.

Is iTerm2 free?

Yes. iTerm2 is free software licensed under GPL v2, with its source code on GitHub.

Does iTerm2 have AI features?

Yes, through an optional AI plugin. Its AI chat can be linked to a session, read terminal contents and run commands, with a permission setting for each kind of access.

Is Winy available now?

Winy is in early access. You can join the waitlist on winy.ai.

Thinking is Winning